Natural gas is currently trading at approximately $2.50-3.00/mmBTU (million British Thermal Units) and oil is approximately $80/BBL (barrel). It takes approximately 5.8 mmBTU of natural gas ($15-17) to provide the same amount of heat as one barrel of oil ($80). Both are fossil fuels, although natural gas is generally viewed as relatively less hazardous to … Continued
(This ISN’T the secret, yet.) My nephew once made the mistake of wearing his University of Michigan colors to the annual “grudge match” college football classic in Columbus Ohio, which pits the Wolverines against the Buckeyes of Ohio State. He is a large man, but he acknowledged that he felt quite vulnerable with the taunts … Continued
Healthcare represents 1/6thof the total economy. It is a complex behemoth that cannot be changed overnight. Regardless, the early market analysis of the Supreme Court ruling on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act creates winners and losers. Among the “winners” are the hospital companies, Medicare providers and diagnostic testing service providers. The “losers” include … Continued
A family member came to me a few years ago and asked my advice on a mortgage. The loan had originally been established in 2005 so I was not sure what prompted the query as I assumed it must have been a 15 year or 30 year mortgage, and interest rates at that time had … Continued
In light of the positive response we have received about our upcoming luncheon event on the lump sum distribution options offered by Ford and General Motors, we thought having additional information may also be of interest. On Tuesday, June 19, Bob Bilkie CFA, President, and colleagues Marisa Lenhard, CFA, CFP® and Suzanne Antonelli, CFP® participated in a live … Continued
The June 18, 2012 Wall Street Journal has an article about the large number of small community banks putting themselves up for sale. The primary issue, according to the article, is the high cost of regulation. Jamie Dimon, CEO of JP Morgan Chase Bank, noted in his senate testimony last week that his bank probably … Continued
Financial network television producers love a countdown. I hate to blame the recently deceased Dick Clark, but I sometimes wonder if CNBC and other financial networks favor producers who worked on his New Year’s Eve Times Square Countdowns. Earlier this month, much of the news was focused on a “Countdown to the Facebook IPO” that … Continued
One of the earliest recorded economic experiments may be found in the scripture passage known as the Parable of the Three Talents (Mathew 25:14-30). In it, Christ speaks of the master who entrusts his wealth (Talents) to his three main lieutenants while he goes on a journey. When he returns, he compliments the two lieutenants … Continued
After having been born and raised in China, I believe I have some unique observations regarding this sprawling economic juggernaut. It is well known that China was a contributing factor in pulling the global economy out of its slump in 2009. This year, China’s growth target is 7.5%, which was announced by Premier Wen Jiabao … Continued
We wanted to share this press release announcing the latest addition to our professional staff. Wenma Gorman, CFA recently joined Sigma as a Research Analyst. We are pleased that she accepted our offer to further her career here at Sigma and look forward to introducing her to you in person. _______________________________________________________________________________________ Sigma Investment Counselors builds … Continued
I received a call this week from a General Motors retiree in reference to the automaker’s decision to give its retirees a lump sum pension payment option versus their existing stream of benefits. He said to me, “I am an engineer with no knowledge of markets or economics. I would probably just leave things as … Continued
On top of the recent news of Ford Motor offering salaried employees lump-sum payments to buyout their defined benefit pensions, General Motors announced last week they will be offering pension buyouts for 42,000 salaried retirees. While the detailed numbers have yet to be released, many Ford and General Motors retirees will be looking at very … Continued
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